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Putting Young People at The Heart of Development: Supporting Youth-Led Change Through The My Rights, My Voice Programme
Putting Young People at The Heart of Development: Supporting Youth-Led Change Through The My Rights, My Voice Programme
Oxfam has not always worked consistently on youth issues The MRMV programme was originally put together, however, in
across different country programmes and affiliates, feeling that response to a donor invitation with a very tight deadline. The
targeted work with young people is the mandate of specialist proposal had to be developed without direct youth participation
youth agencies, and that young peoples needs are and by staff, at both country and headquarters level, many
appropriately met by interventions aimed at the whole of whom had limited experience of working with youth. At
community. But as the Global South gets younger, it becomes that stage, the programme did not have any specialist youth,
more and more important for Oxfam to understand the needs of or youth-led, partners. But MRMV has pushed itself to learn
young people, recognise the energy and creativity they bring and innovate, to respond to challenges and insights, and to
to development, and build new strategies and approaches to constantly improve its programming. These experiences have
working with them. Oxfams 2013-19 strategic plan is the first to allowed the programme to share valuable lessons about how it
specifically include working with young people and with youth developed and strengthened its approach towards working with
movements, and the organisation is now keen to build on its youth over the last few years.
My Rights
My Voice
Developing youth engagement
MRMV took as its starting point Harts Ladder of Youth Mechanisms of youth engagement
Participation. The ladder sets out levels of youth engagement At the start of the programme, MRMV held discussions with
in development, from tokenistic participation of youth to active youth-led organisation Restless Development in order to
citizenship. The ladder starts with manipulation as the lowest benefit from its experience around youth participation. Restless
rung and goes through a series of higher rungs in which youth Development highlighted the importance of youth participation
are consulted and informed, but have no power. The top rungs in ongoing programme management, and of working with
reflect approaches in which youth participate and have power. youth-led partners which could bring additional expertise and
MRMV has always striven to reach at least rung 6 in its practice, insights to the programme. In response to these challenges,
and certain aspects of the programme and activities have MRMV sought out youth-led organisations as partners, and now
reached rung 7 or 8. all MRMV country programmes are working with such groups.
The programme also decided to establish Youth Advisory Boards
Harts Ladder (YABs) at the national level to enable young people to advise
on programme implementation and expressed an aspiration
of Youth 8. Youth initiated,
shared decisions
with adults
to establish a Global Youth Advisory Board (GYAB) which would
include a representative from each country programme.
Participation Degrees of participation
7. Youth initiated
YABs have been established in five MRMV countries, each with
and directed
eight members, at least half of whom are young women. Since
then, the YABs have been the focus of intensive capacity-building
6. Adult initiated,
shared decisions
and have participated in the design and planning of programme
with youth
activities at national and global levels. An annual youth audit
has also been conducted with youth by every country team
5. Consulted and
informed
and partner organisation to measure yearly progress towards
better youth engagement. The 2014 audit reported overall youth
satisfaction with their engagement in MRMV, at nearly 82%.
4. Assigned but
informed
The GYAB, however, was never established. In hindsight, MRMV
believes that it would have been better to consult with youth
about how they wished to be involved in decision-making at
3. Tokenism
global level. The programme also recognises the importance and
Non-participation
2
FROM 2012-2014, WE REACHED beginning. Safeguarding issues have included protecting youth
from the negative backlash which can result from involvement
Learning from MRMV in all countries has highlighted the need Since I joined this programme, I understand the capacity,
to continually engage with staff, partners and youth on gender power and right that I have to participate in society.
issues, and to reinforce messages in every activity and at Before MRMV, I couldnt imagine going into society,
every opportunity, not just in specific gender training. It but I have the right to participate in public life and to
has also demonstrated the importance of choosing, as well advocate for my rights. Now I cant recognise my previous
as developing, appropriate staff and partners who not only self. Before, when we wanted to do something, we
understand the theory and rhetoric around gender equality, worried about how to achieve it. But since taking part
but are also able to translate this into transformative in MRMV, we are able to do anything, and we can even
programme practice. lead the community. MRMV increased my confidence, my
capability, and my capacity in society. On International
Safeguarding young people Youth Day, I gave a speech about youth issues in front of
Safeguarding young people particularly children and under- the whole community and important officials.
18s has been a crucial consideration for MRMV from the Layla, MRMV youth group member, Afghanistan
A presentation on strengthening MRMV gender equality work in Georgia at the 2014 Annual Learning Event in The Hague. Credit: Le Gia Thang/Oxfam
3
Youth-led programming I am the president of the Youth Advisory Board in Pakistan.
One of the key pieces of learning to come out of MRMV is the The YAB actively shares information on the issues facing
extraordinary energy, openness and creativity of young people youth, the activities we undertake and our future plans.
and the amount that they are able to achieve as a result of this. Each member of the board is associated with youth
But young peoples achievements have required a management networks across Pakistan, where they disseminate
approach in which MRMV has shown a high level of trust and information and share best practices learned through
confidence in youth, and has stood back to give them the space MRMV. We hold regular meetings with each other and with
to develop their own agendas and activities. our peers in other MRMV country programmes to build
synergy and share lessons learnt.
This has enabled MRMV to achieve the highest levels of youth Sara,* MRMV YAB President, Pakistan
engagement represented by Harts Ladder (rungs 6, 7 and 8)
and an approach which can be said to be truly working with
youth. This approach has enabled young people to develop
as active citizens, leading the planning and implementation
of advocacy activities and achieving numerous examples of
positive change.
Key learning
Aspire to work with youth and on projects led by youth, rather
than just for youth or on youth issues. Harts Ladder of Youth
Participation is a useful tool.
NOTES
1
State of the Worlds Population, United Nations Population Foundation, 2014. Percentage of
people aged 0-24 years.
2
CIA World Fact Book, 2015 *Name has been changed
My Rights
My Rights, My Voice is a four-year programme which engages marginalised children
and youth in their rights to health and education services. The programme has been
My Voice
implemented through our local partners in eight countries - Afghanistan, Georgia, Mali,
Nepal, Niger, Pakistan, Tanzania and Vietnam - primarily funded by the Swedish
International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). To find out more about the programme,
please email us at mrmv@oxfam.org.uk or visit us at www.oxfam.org.uk/myrightsmyvoice